Il Mulino Restaurant Review

: Known since 1981 for its gargantuan plates of garlicky, gustily-sauced Italian-American food, Il Mulino is now a multi-restaurant international empire. Unlike the rather rustic downtown Manhattan original, this branch, flagship eatery at the luxe Acqualina Resort, goes for an uptown royalty feel---dark mahogany and burgundy, chandeliers and sconces, waiters in tuxes. But the huge portions are the same, as are the huge tabs ($30-$40 pastas, for instance, and a classy but heftily marked-up wine list). Fortunately the sticker shock is softened by the restaurant’s famous freebies: platters of pepperoni slices, crisp-fried zucchini slivers, bruschetta, hunks of aged Parmigiano, and several types of bread before the meal; complimentary grappa after. And many diners feel Il Mulino’s decadent porcini-stuffed ravioli with black truffle-champagne cream sauce is worth any price.